ROAD TRIP: Day 2 – Destination, Hilton Head Island, SC

{ disclosure : VW Routan was provided for editorial use by Volkswagen North America, Sola stroller, available for pre-sale in July at BabiesRUs.com and debuting August 12th, 2010 at Babies ‘R’ Us stores nationwide, was provided by Mamas & Papas, all images used in coverage were taken by a Nikon D5000 – on loan from Nikon USA }

The second day brought on new challenges. Not all days can be perfect I learned. The babe started acted up a bit more – okay, a LOT more. I think at one point he cried for over an hour. We just threw up our hands and let him cry it out. He was fed, he was clean… and he could rest at anytime he wanted. He just wanted out of his car seat – yea, I hear you kid, me too. If we wanted to get to our destination at a decent hour, that was not going to be an option every time he cried.

The second haul of our trip was 6 hours. We left around 9:30am and leisurely made our way back onto the road. The toddler was not phased by all the crying the babe did. Fine. She did occasionally mention that the babe was being “too noisy“. To the babe’s credit, his cry is more of a soft whine, a very sweet and heartbreaking whine. I could almost hear him saying… “it’s just me… if you don’t mind, i’d like to get out of this chair… that is, if its convenient and all…” – my dear sweet boy. We made 2 stops and the second stop was so close to the destination, I could almost declare it a non-stop but the toddler had to poop. She hates to poop in her pants – yea, me too.

We finally arrived into Hilton Head Island around 4pm that afternoon. I think the husband was under the impression we would be “roughing” it a bit on the island and gave me puppy eyes asking to stop at Walmart — just in case. I relented despite wanting to get to the hotel ASAP and couldn’t believe his “must-haves” included more snacks! Granted he did need sunblock too but still… As we drove onto the island, we could instantly feel the calm washing over us… we knew we were in for a treat. We passed gorgeous golf course and southern-style mansions, all intertwined with almost hidden shopping centers sparsed in-between — not to mention about 2-3 Walmart’s and Target’s. Entering the gates of the Westin Hilton Head Island Resort and Spa, we were greeted instantly with warm southern hospitality. I chuckled as the valet tried to kindly set up the Sola for me. He could only remark how cool it was but too complicated for him. I quickly showed him it was not complicated at all. With a quick flip it was open and the seat was already snapped in. Let the relaxation begin…

After settling in, we were eager to get our hands on some fresh seafood. We set off to the Crazy Crab, a local joint that was suppose to be casual and family-friendly. Despite the humidity concerns of the husband, I opted to sit on outside on the deck. The sun was setting and a small breeze was passing through. It turned out to be the perfect first dinner here on the island. I got to indulge in pasteurized raw oysters on the half shell. I almost ate all of them before I remembered to share with the husband. He was gracious enough to only take one. I was a little skeptical when reading the pasteurized part, but was quickly reassured by the waitress that it was still raw. That’s the best way to eat them in my opinion. For my main course, I enjoyed a heaping pot of steamed lobster, oysters and shrimps while the husband enjoyed a plate of similarly broiled seafood. Despite all the delicious food on the table, the toddler could barely sit in her seat. I get it. There was an adorable cat family, and I’m totally not a cat person, with 4 kittens playing along the waterfront that had captured her attention. We watched them playfully pounce on one another and admired their climbing skill as they each expertly climbed the palm trees that lined the water. We still managed to get some fresh fish and veggies into her. I forgot to mention, as we were settling in… we received a call from our pediatrician. Cue the dramatic “dun dun dun”… The toddler might have a blood condition that was cause for some concern — let the medical drama begin, again… Turns out the toddler’s blood doesn’t clot well at all. Since this was only preliminary information, all we had was the initial diagnosis and of course I couldn’t help but google which said eating more green veggies would help. The husband made it his mission to get them into the toddler at any cost — including bribery… which were not limited to new DVD’s, Dora toys, ice cream and whatever else was at his disposal.

Auto-Start – The husband didn’t think this was such a neat feature until the humidity sunk in. As a native New Yorker, he loves auto-start for those cold winter mornings but he grew to appreciate that it can cool down the car too.

Remote Auto-Open Doors and Trunk – A girl/mom can get use to this. Alone with two kids in tow, I appreciated the ability to auto-start the car. As I’m locking up the house, or walking from the hotel to the car in this case, a double click and the doors open in my anticipation. No need to place babe in a secure place while getting the toddler in the car. I simply plopped the babe into the base with one hand, closed the door, went round the other way with the toddler and secured her in without any huffs. A mom could definitely get use to this…

Suzanne is student, daughter, wife, (labor & delivery) certified registered nurse, certified lactation counselor, friend, entrepreneur and blogger – but the job she's most proud of is mother… She shares her journey on this blog and The Disney Files.
Read more about her here.